After 24 yrs, ‘Bhalu aaya’ poem set for comeback in UP schools
It was only after some discussion with NIE, Prayagraj officials that NCERT cleared the popular poem for class 1 students. Also set for re-inclusion after two decades is poem ‘Tu Chal Main Aata Hoon’ for class 2 students.
After 24 years, the popular old Hindi poem ‘Lathi lekar bhalu aaya, chhamm, chhamm, chhamm’ is set to be reintroduced in class 1 syllabus of over 1.15 lakh government-run primary schools of the state.
The reintroduction of the old poem from academic session 2024-25 is part of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT’s) efforts to customise its books for the state, said experts of the State Institute of Education (SIE), Prayagraj.
SIE, Prayagraj is a unit of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
However, it was only after some debate that the reintroduction got the clearance of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
“The move is part of the NCERT’s efforts to customise its books for the state. But, when the books with the poem were initially sent for NCERT’s approval, some of its officials suggested it be dropped because of a ban on using bear or other animals for games and fun,” said SIE, Prayagraj director Deepti Mishra.
“The SIE experts however argued that there was no mention of any magician or human being along with animals in the poem and animals were shown joyously dancing and singing in natural environment,” she said.
After this, NCERT officials consented to the poem’s reinclusion in class 1 syllabus from April 1, she added. “This poem was earlier included in the Basic Gyan Bharti book taught from 1970 to 2000 and now it has been included in place of NCERT’s fun song ‘Murga Bola Kukdu Koon,” Mishra said.
Also making a comeback after 24 years is the poem ‘Tu Chal Main Aata Hoon’ for students of class 2. “This text is a mixture of clipped prose and poetry which is attractive to children and is also educational, Mishra added.
To facilitate the change, the Hindi textbook ‘Sarangi’ of NCERT will replace ‘Kalrav’ and ‘Kislay’, the two books from which class 1 and 2 students in all UP government-run primary schools of the state are taught at present. “While customizing the NCERT Hindi books of class 1 and 2 for UP students, special care has been taken to provide maximum education to the children through games and sports. For this, some old lessons have been included in the new books,” said Naval Kishore, principal SIE, Prayagraj.
